Senate Debate: Government vs "Campo"

The Senate is currently debating the export tariffs. What's in play here is more than simply how much to charge in tariffs. What's in play is the proposed economic and political model of the current and previous government (the two Kirchner mandates). Yesterday there were two huge marches in the city representing the two sides in the debate. One took place in front of the Congress building in the center of the city. An estimated 95,000 people attended, the large majority of whom were there as part of workers unions (which here are much more politicized than in North America). They mostly arrived by bus or public transportation. Meanwhile, across town, a vast proportion of the comfortable middle and upper classes showed up in unprecedented numbers. An estimated 225,000 people. Impressive for a sector quite unused to demonstrating their convictions in street demonstrations. Instructions for how and where to park were passed on through the mainstream media by concerned politicians wanting to make sure there would be room for everyone's cars. The demonstration, tellingly took place in Palermo, a hip middle class neighbourhood, at a monument donated to the country by Spain.

If anything can be read into these numbers (and believe me, journalists and politicians have been doing plenty of that for the last 24 hours) it's that right-wing opposition to the government and the model it proposes is getting stronger and more unified. The word "coup" -mostly to deny that the protests have any threatening element- has been circulating over the last several days. Don't get me wrong -I think that democracy is currently comfortably installed in this country. (One could read these protests and the massive numbers as precisely an expression of the fact that democracy is quite healthy here at the moment!) But in a country that has seen 6 coups in less than 50 years (1930-1976), this word has a certain threatening edge and carries echoes of a not-to-distant past.

If the Senate does pass the law on tariffs, the government will have a small triumph, confirmation that the country may be ready for the changes it proposes. There is no guarantee, however, that the agricultural sector (producers, exporters, landowners, etc) will not return to roadblocks and other means, protesting (after the fact) that the bill was unconstitutional. On the other hand, if the Senate produces a no vote, the outcome will be very bad news for the government. It will mean a strengthened opposition and one that knows it has the support it needs to continue pressuring a weakened government, one that since its third month, has had this as its one major issue.

The session in Senate began around 10am this morning. It continues as I write and will probably go on until past midnight tonight when the final vote will take place. 72 senators will vote and currently they are tied at 35, 35 with 2 undecided. Whatever it is, the only thing guaranteed about the final outcome is that it will be close.



I leave you with photos from the march that took place in front of the Congress building yesterday afternoon: